Years ago while fishing
along the banks of the Cowlitz River in Washington State, I made a false
assumption that nearly cost my life. I saw a rope hanging from a tree. It was
perched perfectly over the bend of the river. It was irresistible. The fish weren't biting, I was with good friends and the party needed some new energy. I
few tugs on the rope provided all the evidence I needed to support my
assumption that this rope and the branch it was suspended from were perfectly
safe. Three quick steps and a leap out over the river proved quite the
opposite. It was mid November. The river was ice cold and it was moving swiftly
due to recent heavy rains. Were it not for a quick thinking friend and a long, sturdy
branch lying conveniently close by, I am certain I would have drowned.
My spiritual journey has been marked by the often
frustrating discovery that much of what I assumed to be true was, like that
rope, not very reliable. In my eagerness
to learn I willingly accepted the claims of my trusted teachers with little more
than a quick inspection and a few pulls on the rope.
I am a Christian. I believe in the one true God. I believe
in His Son Jesus who laid down his life and rose again, paying the ransom for
my sins and for the sins of all mankind. I believe the Bible is the inspired
and infallible Word of God. I went to Bible School. I spent eight years as a
Youth Pastor. One of my passions in life was studying and teaching the Word of
God. I was nearly thirty when I one of my core beliefs was challenged by
someone who dared me to find scriptural evidence for it. The core belief was the
doctrine of Eternal Torment. I was challenged to find a single passage in
scripture that clearly taught that the final fate of the unbeliever would be
eternal torment in a place called Hell. My world was rocked. I could not find
it.
The notion of Hell was preached and taught with such
conviction that in all my years of Bible Study and Ministry, I never once
thought to question it. The next fifteen years of my life were consumed with
searching for answers and re-evaluating much of what I assumed to be true about
the Christian Faith and the claims of the Word of God. This process has securely
rooted and grounded my faith in the fundamental truths of Christianity but it
has also brought to light many of our false assumptions. Things we made
up, added or use to explain what we do not understand. Intentionally or unintentionally, the church
and its leaders have introduced many ideas into our faith that are mysteriously
absent from the pages of scripture. The doctrine of eternal torment, the notion
that man has a Free Will, the origin of Satan and
the age of accountability are just a few examples.
The following blogs are introductions to topics that deserve to be discussed and studied out by truth seeking believers. The truth matters and as difficult as it often is to have our core beliefs challenged...only good can come of it.
Paul commended the Berean’s for searching the scriptures to
see if what they were being taught was true. The final authority on any matter
is not the church. It is not the teacher. It is certainly not an internet
blogger. It is the Word of God. We are admonished to search and study it so
that we can be workman who can rightly divide it and who have no reason to be
ashamed.
Know the Truth, Love the Truth, Live the Truth…it will set
you free!
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